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Archive for September, 2014

The J. Paul Getty Museums has two world class museums in the Los Angeles area, the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades and the more modern Getty Center in Brentwood. The J. Paul Getty Trust has $6.6 billion endowment and it is the world’s richest art institution. It started with $700 million worth of shares of Getty Oil of the oil magnate’s company. The penny pinching billionaire’s collection starting from the Great Depression includes 18th century French furniture, antiques, Roman marble statues, and many others. Getty left detail instruction on how his fortune to be spent to promote art collection and others.

Located on 64 acres of hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean and opened in 1954 and relocated in 1974, the Getty Villa has a collection of 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities from 6,500 BC to 400 AD. The Villa design is inspired by the Villa of the Papyri and other ancient sites.

Sitting on a hilltop, the $1.3 billion more modern Getty Center was designed by Rodolpho Machado and Jorge Silvetti, the Getty Center was opened to public in December, 1997. It features pre-20th century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, and decorative arts; and 19th to 20th century American, Asian, and European photographs.

There is a saying that says “start designing your space from ground up.” Properly designed area rug can bring excitement to a room while providing comfort and warmth. Rugs designed by an artist can provides and extraordinary collection for an art collector. It provides a sense of buying into the art world.

Art works from Picasso and Kandinsky have already been made into rugs and a design of Picasso can go for somewhere from $1,750 to $4,400. However, other pieces from Lichtenstein may go for $76,000 and a Kandinsky for $60,000 according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

An artfully designed rug provides an affordable way to own famous work. Many are coming from manufacturers but there are pieces designed by the artists that are available in the market. Some of the more recent artists that have their own art work on rugs include Leger, Klee, Arp, Miró, and Matisse. If you are interested in making a rug specially made for you consider the size, right combination of fiber density it order to protect it from wear and tear, time to manufacture one and its price. If you are in the auction market to get a piece by Picasso or any other famous artist, be prepared to pay. A Bacon at Christie’s auction in 2011 cost $155,000.

First aired on CBS on September 26, 1964, Gilligan’s Island ran on TV for three seasons until April 17, 1967. Gilligan’s Island will turn 50 this September. The American sitcom is known for some of its goofy characters and for its comic adventures. The cast included Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Russell Johnson, Tim Louise, and Dawn Wells. The seven castaways’ comic survival (they later escape from the island in a movie) treated TV viewers young and old for decades. Their marooned island life made people laugh for a half a century. The show paved the way for later comedies on TV such as Hogan’s Heroes.

Some critics say that when the show was debuted in 1965, America has gone through social unrest due to Cuban missile crisis and assassination of John F. Kennedy giving the prominence to the show more than it deserve. Whatever the reason, the war weary Americans latched onto the show immediately after its first telecast. Its impact goes beyond the initial three seasons run due to rebroadcast when children were coming home from school. The first episode shows that Gilligan and the Skipper going on a raft to find help and the last episode (Gilligan and Goddess) ends the show still the castaways stranded on the island.

Iconic comedian, writer, producer, TV and talk show host, stage and film actress Joan Rivers died due to an apparent cardiac arrest due to a routine throat procedure at a New York City medical facility at the age of 81 in New York City on September 4, 2014. The New York state as well as the health officials from the New York City are investigating the circumstances that led to her death.

Born as Joan Alexandra Molinsky, Joan Rivers was well-known for her controversial remarks. She came to the attention of the audience due to her appearance in The Tonight Show with Jonny Carson in 1965. She immediately established her own comedic version. She later went onto host her own late night TV show, The Late Night with Joan Rivers in 1986 becoming the first woman to host a late night talk show. She has published 12 best-selling memoir and humor books and many comic albums. She is well-known for her Red Carpet interviews and she co-hosted many TV shows with her daughter Melissa. Her satirical comedic career spans more than 55 years.

Joan Rivers received many accolades including Grammy Award and Tony Award nominations and won a Daytime Emmy Award for her work as an Outstanding Talk Show Host.